Opinion
Net?raskan
Wednesday, April 6, 1994
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Rainbow Rowell
Adeana Left in. .
Todd Cooper
Jeff Zcleny.
Sarah Duev .
William Lauer. . .
. .Editor. 472-17M
Opinion Page Editor
Managing Editor
Sports Editor
Associate News Editor
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Senior Photographer
Sober up
Omaha deaths expose drinking, driving
It is impossible to live in America today without being
bombarded by messages warning against the dangers of
drinking and driving. On Tuesday, Nebraskans were given
the most persuasive argument possible.
Three high school students killed in a car accident Friday were
buried in Omaha. Police suspect the accident was alcohol-related.
Zima bottles were found at the scene.
The driver of the car survived, but Matthew Guilfoylc, 16,
Jason Lombardi, 16 and Jancllc Papillon, 17, arc gone forever.
The Rev. David Korth, who presided over the funerals, said
mourners should try to make something positive come out of the
tragedy by heeding the lessons of drunken driving.
Those lessons are particularly relevant at the University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln, where drinking is a large part of peoples'
social lives. The reality of life at UNL is that people drink. Not
infrequently, they drive afterward.
It is easy to ignore the warnings of impersonal advertisements
and slogans. But it is impossible to ignore the fact that three
people who should have bright lives ahead of them don't, because
of an accident involving alcohol.
Nothing will bring Matthew, Jason and Jancllc back. But other
deaths can be avoided if people take more responsibility to stop
drinking and driving.
Talk is cheap
United Nations must back up ‘safe area '
Almost a year ago, the United Nations declared Gorazde, a
city in the former Yugoslavia, a “safe area.”
With 49 killed and 2IS wounded in the city as of Tues
day, its inhabitants don’t feel safe. As Bosnian Serbs broke
through government defenses in three places, civilians fled into
the center of the city.
Yet Western nations have made it clear there will be no orga
nized military effort to protect Gorazde. When Sarajevo, about 30
miles northwest of Gorazde, was threatened by Bosnian Serbs,
NATO’s threats of an airstrike prevented shelling.
Gen. John Shalikashvili said similar tactics would not work to
protect Gorazde. because most of the damage was being done by
small weapons, which could not be reached by airstrikes.
Still, the United Nations should stand behind its earlier declara
tion. Each time it fails to do so weakens its position. If the
fighting groups believe the United Nations is ‘all talk,’ they will
not respect it.
Bosnian officials have said the rest of the world has not taken
the latest Bosnian Serb attack seriously.
Sarajevo was given much attention in the Western media. The
American people were bombarded with often graphic photographs
and articles about the hardships faced by the city that once played
host to the Winter Olympics. On the other hand, few foreign
reporters have been able to reach Gorazde.
Although Gorazde has not received the media attention that
Sarajevo did, it should not be forgotten. The United Nations
surely had good reason to declare this city a safe area. Although
Western nations should not use unwise methods, they should
stand behind the U.N declaration.
H)| IOKI \l I'tII II \
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IT I II U I’OI K \
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QUICK,®
ttWUWt,
Kimberly Spurlock
Abusive parent fathers sadness
ftcr more than 20 years of
marriage — many spent in a
physieally and mentally abu
sive relationship — a family friend,
“Karen.” has finally decided to leave
her husband.
The accounts that led to Karen
leaving her husband, with her two
youngest children (her twooldest chil
dren had already moved out), were
upsetting to me.
I had seen Karen’s husband in a
rage many times before, and his last
outburst solidified my anger for him
and my sadness for Karen and her
children, my friends.
Any kindness that Karen’s hus
band had m the past years became
minute each time I saw the evil side of
him. I know he had a kind side to him
at some point, and I have seen that side
of him in the past months and years—
mostly when he was not drinking.
But even with those kind gestures
and jokes, I almost detested him. be
cause I knew that even though Karen
and my friends may have been laugh
ing and having fun at that moment,
those smiles were only temporary.
I also knew that whenever Karen’s
husband did this, it was only tempo
rary for me (he never hit me), because
I knew I would be going home. At
home, I could do anything wrong and
my father would never, and has never,
called me profane names, fought me
or blatantly put down my mother.
I grew up feeling frightened for my
friends, especially their two young
sisters, who were between the ages of
4 and 6 when I realized their father
was this way. Karen, a kind, giving
and loving person, tried to protect her
children, but she couldn’t do a lot
while living in a place where her
husband ruled the home and where
her words meant nothing.
Karen and her children arc a beau
tiful family. No one could look at them
Karen and her children are a
beautiful family. No one could look
at them and think their life was
living hell. But it was living hell —
until recently.
and think Ihcirlifcwaslivinghell. But
it was living hell — until recently.
Karen decided to leave her hus
band after her two youngest children
threatened to run away because of
their father’s abuse. Karen’s husband
found out about her plans from talking
with his father, whom Karen had con
fided in.
Her husband came home upset,
yelling at the two youngest children,
now between 13 and 16 years old,
telling them what he was going to do
to their mother when she came home
from work.
One could not possibly imagine
what goes on in an abusive home by
reading this column. Can you imagine
being hit numerous limes by your
father because your little sister alleg
edly broke a water sprinkler? Can you
imagine being forced to bad-mouth
your mother in front of friends? Can
you imagine being called bitches and
whatever else by your father because
you don’t havedinner ready.or you’re
not cooking what he wants?
Some people can imagine it —
those who have been through it or
have witnessed it.
I often asked them local! the child
abuse hot line, but they wouldn’t.
“Lisa,” the second to the oldest, al
ways toughed it out. She was the one
in her family who literally defended
her sibl mgs and mother whenever her
father yelled at them, hit them or
called them names.
Granted, many times she said some
things I would never say to my father.
But like I used to tell her father, look
who she got her ways from.
Karen finally moved out of her
home because she felt her and her
children’s safety was threatened. Now
Karen’s husband is saddened by this.
He promises he’ll change. He talks of
all the pressure he’s been through. He
says he ’ll get help. He pleads for Karen
to come home.
My friends love their father. I know.
They've protected him many times
when I or someone else has tried to
criticize him. But sometimes a mother
must do what is in the best interest of
her children.
Karen finally left after years of
pain and sorrow. She tells her hus
band that her leaving is only tempo
rary, and she’ll be back once he cleans
up his act. I can only hang my head
with sadness.
If Karen’s husband does get help
and changes, good for him. But she
can do well by herself, with her chil-,
dren and family by her side. 1 hang my
head with sadness because I’ve seen
Karen’s husband change ways like the
weather. And I hope if she ever goes
back to him, she will be able to hold
her head up with happiness and pride
in herself, for her sake — for her
children’s sake.
Spurlock it • senior broadcasting, aewi
editorial aad Knglisb major and a Daily Ne
braskan columnist.
I.l ll I Us in l III I.DI mu
English department
Jim Rose seems to have a very
twisted view of the English depart
ment at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln. In response to Rose’s letter
(DN. April 1, 1994) regarding “no
brainer English courses, I would like
to ask Rose to be more specific than
“composition and creative writing”
courses, i.c, course number, title and
instructor.
It is my impression that Rose may
not have taken any English courses
other than 150 and 151, which most
freshman are required to take upon
entering the arts and sciences college,
and he may be unjustly categorizing
the English department based on his
perceptions of these classes.
The skills and methods taught in
the English department are valuable
tools, providing you have an open
mind to what you arc learning.
1 find it interesting that Rose sin
gles out the composition courses.
makes no mention of literature or
linguistic courses offered at UNL and
still categorizes the entire English
department as a “major player in the
university’s hypocritical attempt to
re-energize classroom teaching.
If UNL is nothing more than a
“brain-dead party school where you
go to screw around, where instructors
pretend to teach, and the brightest
students know exactly that” and there
fore “try to go to college out of stale,”
why is Rose attending UNL? Didn’t
he try hard enough to attend school
out of state? By making these com
ments, he is putting himself into the
category of students who, by his own
words, arc not bright, or arc brain
dead.
With such feelings of self-depreci
ation, it is no surprise that he cannot
see the usefulness of the courses of
fered by the English department.
Mark L. Kovarik
senior
English
Beau knows yuks
I would I ike lo disagree with David
Spinar’s letter (DN, April 4, 1994)
degrading Beau Finley s column on
Brad BernlhalfDN, March 31,1994).
I consider myself a representative of
Finley’s vast readership. Finley’s col
umns add spice and flavor lo the DN.
I find his writing entertaining and do
not think Bcmtnal was offended by
the column.
In fact. I’m sure Bernthal was glad
to get the coverage and had a sense of
humor about the whole thing. Finley’s
columns aren’t meant to patronize.
Rather, they are meant lo expose a
serious side to the far too serious world
of sports.
The only complaint I have is the
infrequency of his columns. Two
words: every day!
Curtis Stalnakcr
sophomore
engineering